ChromeOS Recovery USB

WARNING

  • Creating a ChromeOS Recovery USB will wipe all data on the USB device
  • The recovery process will wipe all data on the internal drive

This guide covers creating and using a ChromeOS Recovery USB to reinstall ChromeOS on your device.

When You Need This

  • After restoring stock firmware via the Firmware Utility Script
  • When ChromeOS is corrupted and won't boot
  • When preparing to sell or return your device

NOTE

If you only flashed RW_LEGACY firmware, you don't need to restore stock firmware first. Simply perform a ChromeOS USB recovery and exit Developer Mode.

Prerequisites

  • A PC or laptop to create the recovery USB
  • A USB drive or SD card (8GB minimum)
  • Your device's board name or model identifier

Part 1: Creating the Recovery USB

There are two methods for creating a ChromeOS Recovery USB:

Supported Platforms: Windows, ChromeOS, macOS

  1. Download the Chromebook Recovery Utility from the Chrome Web Store

  2. Launch the app and follow the on-screen instructions

  3. If you can't find your device automatically:

    • Select "Select a model from a list"
    • Choose your manufacturer and model

  4. Select the USB drive you want to use

  5. Wait for the process to complete

Method 2: Manual Recovery Image Flash

Use this if: The Recovery Utility fails, or you're running Linux

Step 1: Download the Recovery Image

  1. Go to cros.tech and find your device

  2. Click on the "Recovery Images" dropdown and select the latest image

  3. Download and extract the .bin file from the archive

Step 2: Flash the Recovery Image

Windows:

Use Rufus to flash the recovery .bin file to USB. Important: Flash in "dd" mode, not "ISO" mode.

macOS/ChromeOS/Linux:

Use dd to flash the recovery .bin file to USB.

Example:

sudo dd if=chromeos_recovery_image.bin of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress
sync

Replace /dev/sdX with your USB device path (use lsblk to identify).

Part 2: Booting from the Recovery USB

Once your recovery USB is ready:

Step 1: Enter Recovery Mode

  1. Power off your device completely

  2. Boot to Recovery Mode:

    • Press and hold ESC + Refresh (F3), then press Power
    • Release all keys when you see the recovery screen

Step 2: Start the Recovery Process

  1. When prompted with "Chrome OS is missing or damaged", insert your recovery USB

  2. The recovery process will start automatically

  3. Wait for the process to complete (typically 5-15 minutes)

  4. Your device will reboot automatically when finished

Step 3: Exit Developer Mode (If Applicable)

If you're returning the device to stock configuration:

  1. On first boot, you'll see the "OS verification is OFF" screen

  2. Press SPACEBAR to re-enable OS verification

  3. Press ENTER to confirm

  4. The device will powerwash and reboot to stock ChromeOS

Troubleshooting

Recovery Process Fails

If you disabled firmware write protection via battery disconnect:

  • You'll need to disconnect the battery again for recovery to complete successfully
  • This is due to how the stock firmware handles WP state

Recovery logs are created automatically:

  • The recovery USB creates a small (~10MB) Linux-formatted partition
  • Recovery logs are stored here and can help diagnose failures
  • Mount this partition on a Linux system to access the logs

Device Not Recognizing USB

  1. Try a different USB port (avoid USB hubs)
  2. Recreate the recovery USB using a different USB drive
  3. Verify you downloaded the correct recovery image for your device

Recovery Image Won't Flash

  • Ensure your USB drive is at least 8GB
  • Try a different USB drive (some drives have compatibility issues)
  • On Linux/macOS, ensure you have proper permissions (sudo)

After Recovery

Once recovery completes:

  1. Stock firmware restored? You're done! Your device is back to factory state.

  2. Want to reinstall Linux?

Last Updated::